6 biggest LIV Golf contracts as Jon Rahm leaves Phil Mickelson behind with record deal
Phil Mickelson’s reign as top LIV Golf earner is now over, and he’s been drastically overtaken by Jon Rahm who’s signed a blockbuster contract he’s risking the Ryder Cup for
One of the greatest golfers in the world, Jon Rahm, has committed to a record-breaking £450 million contract with LIV Golf.
The Masters winner became the most recent player to abandon the PGA Tour in favor of the Saudi-backed league, having previously stated he had no interest in joining LIV. The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) provided funding for a number of elite golfers who accepted sizable financial offers to quit the PGA Tour in 2022.
Before Rahm signed, Phil Mickelson possessed the biggest LIV contract, although on top of salary and joining fees, players are able to win huge cash prizes based on their performances in competitions. Rahm has managed to earn more than double the previous highest earner, and is even risking his future Ryder Cup spot.
“The Ryder Cup was the biggest hurdle for me before joining,” Rahm said on Thursday night. “The money is great. It’s wonderful, but what I’ve said before is true. I do not play golf for the money. I play golf for the love of the game and for the love of golf, but as a husband and as a father and family man, I have a duty to my family to give them the best opportunities and the most amount of resources possible.
“But my goal with this is to grow the game of golf, to make it better whatever that may be. I’m an ambitious person but I’m not a greedy one. I know I can’t have everything, so there’s some things I’ll have to sacrifice and right now, that seems one I can live with.”
Following Rahm’s hesitance LIV went all out with an offer he couldn’t refuse, but it’s yet to be seen if that’ll cause issues with the players already signed. Here Mirror Sport brings you the other five biggest contracts in LIV.
Phil Mickelson – $200m (£160m)
53-year-old Mickelson signed the biggest contract in LIV history on June 6, 2022, although the proper figures weren’t discovered until months later. Fans found out Mickelson was earning a lot more than what was first reported, making him the most paid player off the course.
Dustin Johnson $125m (£100m)
Five days prior to Mickelson’s deal, Dustin Johnson signed a multi-year contract worth £100 million, and was one of the first major golfers to make the switch over to LIV. The former World No. 1 named his price and also finished first in 2022 as the highest earner from LIV tournament winnings.
To continue LIV’s mass capture of golfing talent in June last year, Bryson Dechambeau signed the same deal as Johnson on June 10. DeChambeau has won twice in LIV Golf, and his only major win came back in 2020 when winning the U.S. Open by two strokes over Matthew Wolff, who is also in LIV.
Brooks Koepka $100m (£80m)
Smash GC team captain Brooks Koepka is one of the heavyweights on the LIV Golf scene, recently trading Wolff to RangeGoats GC captained by Bubba Watson. Koepka agreed to sign for LIV on June 22, 2022, and continues to improve as a golfer. Koepka finished second behind Rahm at the latest Masters, and won the PGA Championship in 2023.
Cameron Smith $100m (£80m)
One of the later-arriving stars to sign with LIV was Australian golfer Cameron Smith, who did not exchange contracts until August of 2022. However, he accepted a healthy payment and is currently tied for fourth place among tour earners after matching Koepka’s offer to leave the PGA Tour and change allegiances.
